After exhausting all options to stay in your current nursing job, calling it quits could be the best decision you make. Nursing is one of the most demanding professions out there. Everyone is cut out to be a bedside nurse. Life is too short to spend one more minute enduring a job you don’t want. If the job doesn’t fit, you’ve got to quit. It’s that easy. If you’re still on the fence, here’s a list of smack-you-in-the-face signs you need to starting penning your resignation letter.
You’re unhappy
This tops the list because if you’re unhappy at work, that feeling will seep into every aspect of your life. You’ll inevitably bring those emotions home to your kids/spouse/partner/friends. Your job will become a burden that will weigh heavy on your heart. No one is naïve enough to expect that every day as a bedside nurse in a hospital or a nurse case manager in an office is free from bad days. I believe if you can’t find joy in your work, it might be time to move on.
Unethical practices
You worked too hard to get here. If your employer routinely engages in practices that threaten your nursing license or your ability to carry out your duties as a nurse, you have to get out of that situation. Period.
Lack of support from the care team
With the recent acknowledgment that nurse bullying is real and prevalent in many care settings, you’ll be more aware when it’s happening in your workplace. It’s tough to do your job when your nurse colleagues and nursing assistants don’t work with you. It’s even more difficult when they aren’t held accountable.
Lack of support from managers
A strong, supportive nurse leadership team can help nurses weather the storms of everyday struggles. Adequate staffing, training and pay all go a long way in improving nurse morale. When nurse managers/directors fail to support their nurses or provide a culture, there’s little incentive to stay.
Negative impact on lifestyle
When your work gets in the way of your personal relationships with say, your kids or your spouse, it puts you in a tough position. You shouldn’t have to choose. Routinely missing key life events or lack of quality time with the ones you love is tough. You need that emotional support system and they need you. If you’re unable to work in your position AND maintain the relationships you value, it might be time to look for a new position.
